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Anti-war protestors charged in Shannon

A man and a woman have been charged in connection with damage caused to a perimeter fence at Shannon Airport.

They are expected before Shannon District Court on 8 May.

The woman, who is 20, and the man, aged in his forties, were arrested after they were discovered on a disused section of runway, inside the perimeter security fence at the airport early today.

The two are understood to be members of the Catholic Worker Movement.

A spokesperson for the Catholic Worker Movement said that the purpose of this morning's demonstration was to build a shrine to the Iraqis killed in the recent conflict.

This morning's incident comes after a series of security breaches at Shannon airport, the most serious of which were two attacks on a US Navy aircraft in February, which each resulted in €500,000 worth of damage to a US plane.

Since those attacks, a garda and army presence has been maintained at the airport around the clock.

An Aer Rianta spokesperson has said that there will be an investigation into this latest breach of security at the airport.